Friday morning I popped into my local Petro-Canada and picked up a $25 iTunes gift card. I had needed to make some purchases in the App Store for a review I’m working on for another site, and have been trying to avoid the use of credit cards as best I can lately. In my mind the gift card was the perfect choice. How wrong I was.
No matter how I tried, I couldn’t get my purchases to deduct from my gift card funded iTunes store credit! Having never used an iTunes gift card before, I assumed I had to be doing something wrong. I contacted Apple Support. Here’s what they had to say;
“I have an understanding that you are trying to pay your unpaid iTunes purchase with the store credit that you have recently added to your account. I am sorry to hear that you have not been able to use your store credit to do this, and I know that you must be anxious to know why.
Due to tax laws and commerce restrictions for software in Canada, customers residing in Canada may only purchase games and applications using a credit card. This is not a decision that Apple has made, but one that Canada law dictates and we do apologize that we are unable to offer this ability to our Canadian customers.
Since this unpaid purchase was an iTunes application, this would be the reason why you were unable to pay for it with store credit.”
While I understand that Canadian law is at fault and not Apple, I’m still flabbergasted that this information isn’t provided on the card. Let me give you the summary in plain English: you can’t buy Apps with an iTunes gift card.
So now I’m out 25 bucks. Anyone have any music recommendations for me to spend it on?
While this is obviously a pain in the ass for you, gift cards are apparently a work-around for Canadian iTunes users wanting to access the US iTunes store. This wouldn’t be of so much interest for apps, but for digital content. I gather you set up a new account, associate it with a gift card and specify an American address (iTunes uses your credit card details to determine what country you’re in, apparently).
I’ve never tried this, but have seen several successful reports on the web about it.
That only works if you have a US iTunes card. That being said, there is a great workaround that I’ve used. I have both a US and Canadian iTunes acct, and I couldn’t be happier. I’ll make sure to post it up this week so that everyone else can enjoy.
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Yeah, I found this out the hard way as well, only I bought myself a $50 gift code from iTunes. It’s definitely annoying, as I buy about half and half Apps vs Music these days.
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This is absolutely RIDICULOUS! I just spend 100 dollars on an itunes gift card. This is CRAZY. Someone should file a lawsuit against Apple, NO WHERE ON THE CARD DOES IT SAY THAT IT CANNOT BE USED FOR APPS! That’s RIDICULOUS! So many people are losing so much money.
And I don’t even get my music off itunes because the quality is so garbage. 256 kbps does not cut it for me.
Well, I was able to use the card to purchase a movie. I have $12.06, sitting in an account that won’t let me use the remaining amount. So it’s not just games and apps that are screwed. You’re gonna have problems buying music and video too Sweet little trick Apple!! If the card works you have to use it all. Geeze, sounds like a huge “point” FOR microsoft. Can’t remember them pulling an international sales scam/sales and marketing fraud like this before. Not to mention Apple hasn’t even tried to resolve the issue. Apple has never been easy for Canadians.
KRistina - It may not say on the card, but Apple has covered themselves in this situation. You know that agreement that everyone just agrees to with out reading? Right in that it says that Canada can only purchase apps using a credit card.
I’ve been pursuing this issue for some time. The Canadian Minister of Industry (Hon. Tony Clement) has stated in a letter to my MP and myself that he is unaware of any Canadian laws preventing me from using iTunes store credit for purchasing apps. See his letter here:
http://www.jimwhitelaw.com/2009/09/itunes-credit-in-canada.html
I doubt very much any such law exists. Case in point is PSN (Playstation Store). You can buy Sony Store gift cards and download games / apps IN CANADA. So if this law exists it must only pertain to Apple. ie. Apple is full of crap blaming the gov!!!!
Anyone have any more info ?
It all boils down to the fact that Apple does not want to have to pay the Canadian taxes. That is it, plain and simple! I know this from my sister working for Apple (through a temporary service), and it is taught in training classes to state that it is “due to international tax laws”, which it really is. If it is phrased that way, it is not a lie. Apple does not want to pay the taxes for the apps, and the don’t want to alienate their customer base by being honest with them.
Let me give you a little more information: many, many Apple agents are employees of temporary agencies, working in call centers that are full of nothing but temp workers. They are required to take 3-4 chats at a time. When you answer one of the surveys after a chat, email, or phone call, anything less than 4, out of a scale from 1-5, can get the agent fired. If you state that you hate Apple policy and give a “Meets Expectations” or lower on any section of the survey, it is counted against the employee. Apple does not care if you place in the notes that you loved the agent but are unhappy with Apple’s policies. They are so concerned with their JD Edwards standing that they don’t give a crap about all the temporary workers they have through Volt and Kelly Services, and other agencies!
Not JD Edwards, but JD Powers.
“Due to tax laws and commerce restrictions for software in Canada, customers residing in Canada may only purchase games and applications using a credit card.”
I suspect this is bull—t. I have tried to find any kind of legalese preventing the sale of applications or games using a giftcard and there isn’t any. Not that I could find. What’s more: other companies such as Sony and Microsoft sell application and games for their consoles (X360, Ps3, PSP) using Gifrcards in Canada, no problem. So… this throws the ball squarely in Apple’s court.
No tax laws in Canada or any commerce restriction force them to do this.
It’s just Apple not wanting to lose some more potential profit by switching to gift cards. Let’s face it, gift cards that are 20$ wil leave you with 20$ to use in the App. store and a useless card that cost nothing in the end. Apple loses money making these cards and codes. Since Apps are popular (Because let’s face it, in total, more people buy albums/music or download them illegally) and hard to get illegally (you have to crack your iPod/iPhone and download them from rare-to-find places), there’s also more incentive for people to buy Apps from the iTunes store than buy music from there. There’s nothing in Canada preventing Apple to do this kind of thing, but I’m thinking that in the US and UK, there is, as people there can buy Apps with gift card credit. I say take their a.sses to court and and force them to make it like in the US. Add a law to prevent Apple from doing this.
I suspect credit card companies may also pay them well to force people to use credit cards. But that seems a little far-fetched…
I just got SCAMED and i think i will file a report with my MP to APPLE to show were there getting this LAW from?
So JimSquire said he had a way around this…. is there a way around this stupid situation being canadian and not being able to buy apps with the gift cards?!?!?! I like everyone else have spent money on the damn gift cards for the sole purpose of getting the apps and games on my iTouch… Please fill me in if I can get around this!!!
Well, I guess I won’t be buying iTunes gift cards for Christmas after all. Still, do they actually work for music from iTunes? I notice these complaints seem to be about non-music purchases. Is there always unusable money left on the cards?
I purchased $50 worth of iTunes card at Costco for Christmas last year. I was really pissed to find out that my daughter couldn’t use them for apps. I think Apple should make this fact clear before you get ripped off for the cards. I think it is totally their fault for not informing consumers. They should be advertised in Canada as “To be used for music purchases only”
There is a simple way around this. I use an internet credit card from Money Mart for any online purchases. It’s the Titanium Mastercard and you can go to any money mart and load whatever amount you want on it. You can replenish and use anywhere on the internet. You can buy them for kids too, as long as an adult goes with them to sign them up. I’ve use it many times from the Playstation store to booking hotels to Paypal.
this is fuckin bullshit, do u think we will be able to anytime soon
Very Very ANGRY……apple YOU SUCK….great job at ruining peoples christmas gifts and ripping poeple off…hope it feels great. Good job.
As fo the Titanium plus “Mastercard from money mart” charges you 8$ per month and almost 2 $ for each song or app that you buy…so unless you like bashing your head into walls and giving your money away…i suggest we hold strong stick together and say FUCK YOU APPLE! Fucking rip off artist liars.
thank you for my rant and have a great day…DONT BUY APPLE BULLSHIT .
I’m just wondering, to all of you out there who want to blame Apple for this, why would you think, on any level, that Apple would not want to take your money any way they could? Why would any company do that? Furthermore, based on American laws, a gift card purchase can not be added to the books, rather the gift card must be used to make purchases, so that those purchases can be added to the company’s books to show a profit. In other words, any company you buy a gift card from can not show that sale, and does not make a profit, until the card is used to make a purchase.
yeah this made me not buying an iTunes gift card this christmas!
So Canadians are being discriminated against because apple doesn’t want to pay our taxes ?
No where on the package did it say ” for music purchases only”
On the apple TV commercials it says ” for music purchases and more”
If I would of known I needed a credit card to get these apps, I wouldn’t have gotten an Iphone
Now I’m stuck with one for 3 years, and have a 50 dollar credit, That I can’t use….
and Apple tried to blame the whole gift card issue on a non existent tax law ?
Thanks Apple,
I will never buy anything from that company again.
This is not cool. I thought Apple was suppost to be an awesom company. It doesn’t say anything about not being able to buy apps anywhere on the card. There goes another 25 bucks well spent….
Wow Apple, I just lost out on a gift card too. Calling and complaining doesn’t do anything for you either. They just say they cant help you.
I cant even get half the free apps as they all need the software update.
Hi everyone,
I have started a facebook group called “itunes Canada - Stand up for your gift card rights” just for this reason. I got gift cards from people meaning well and I can’t use them for Apps. The way they advertise the cards is misleading.
Please consider joining the group. We are sharing stories and when we get enough people we will come forward to media outlets that would be willing to pick up this story. Many many people are upset about this issue.
I’m out $40 worth that I got as gift this Christmas
Tom Gilmor
Not a happy customer with Apple, just bought my son a $25 iTunes Gift Card and cannot purchase any games for his iPod Touch. Who would of thought that Apple would be like this.
Me too Janice
Found this blog right after I redeemed my $25 iTune Card!
so does anyone know if there’s an expiry date on the credit? I’m planning on leaving my $25 credit in there till they allow Canadians to buy apps!
Damn you Apple! Damn you to hell!!
Hey, merV the expiriy date is after 2 years, and if you switch your account to american( the little flag at the bottom of the itunes store you can buy apps(but since you are a cheating american) or you can rumoredly buy apps using your giftcard using the appstore on wi-fi, so if you havewifi use it!!!!! Hope you guys love that info… if you need more info, I am a tech. “nerd” so e-mail me at maxwwski09@imail.blackgold.ab.ca
Hey max - in my iPhone 3gs I’m not allowed to change country until I spend the balance on my card - I there a work around to this
Hey max - in my iPhone 3gs I’m not allowed to change country until I spend my card balance - is there a work around to this before I retire my dollars
u noe what, i think the retailer should tell you these thing BEFOR you buy, i blame myself for not doing my reserch befor buynig this damm card
Hey, frustrated people, there is no way(i haven’t found one) to get around this changing of the countrys. Or is there no way to do this before you retire your dollars, unless you keep on buying songs until you have a balance of 0.
**EVERYBODY NOTE: YOU CAN BUY APPS AND GAMES USING WI-FI, OR USING YOUR CREDIT CARD(VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS)(WELL, IF YOU HAVE ONE). tHANKS MY EMAIL IS maxwwski09@imail.blackgold.ab.ca IF YOU NEED IT, TTFN- TA TA FOR NOW!
i read a blog a guy who sent a letter to the government and then the government said there isn’t any kind of law like that so thats a lie
here the blog:
http://www.jimwhitelaw.com/2009/09/itunes-credit-in-canada.html
OK its time to take this to the next level. Apple has been made aware of this issue over a year ago. I was told by a Senior Apple Representative today that they have no intention of fixing this issue.
We need to get the word out and start the next phase to get this fixed. I don;t want a refund on my gift card. I want to be able to download apps to my %700 phone that is useless to me without the ability to download apps.
You have to be 13 yrs old to use the apps store. I don’t know any 13 yr olds with credit cards. They also accepted my cash for the phone and did not require a credit card to purchase it.
I also on’t buy the idea that they want to avoid Canadian Taxes as they would still ahve to be paid wiht a credit card purchase.
I see absolutely no reason for their policies and I am trying my damdest to get answers directly from apple. I suggest every one of you call in person and speak to a human being at Apple. When you don’t get the response you want ask for their boss, then their boss and their boss until we start to see the results.
I totally agree with you, Nancy Infact, I am going yo phone apple right…now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
… and I did, and they said that because of taxes in Canada we can’t lolatl (laugh out loud at those losers)!
sell us itunes gift card,The $30 us itunes account only charges for $2,us itunes account(itunes gift code),http://www.aionwowbuy.com
Yes I know it sucks so much. I bought an app for $6.99 on my canadian itunes account, thinking it would go into my gift card. But noooo, its now on the credit card bill and I owe my parents 7 bucks. You think they would write this somewhere on the gift card. All I found was “Not redeemable for all iTunes products.” Maybe they could list examples? So I’m in debt and the only reason I got it was to buy apps, right? But now, I can only buy music, AND I owe money. I don’t even know what music to buy, and it sucks. So I’m in the same situation, don’t worry. At least you don’t owe money to anyone like me.
now I stay in touch..
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